(R–L) Holt Chetwood, Greater Columbia market president for Wachovia, presents a check for the Midlands Technical College Foundation to Charles D. (Chuck) Beaman Jr., MTC Foundation Board chair and president and CEO of Palmetto Health; and Dr. Marshall (Sonny) White, Jr., MTC president. Wachovia officials have contributed $25,000 to the Midlands Technical College Foundation. With this community investment, Midlands Technical College will continue to improve the quality of life throughout the Midlands, support the region’s economic development, and build a world–class workforce needed by area employers.

Specifically, MTC will use the Wachovia contribution to expand access to its Quick Jobs program. Quick Jobs is an MTC Continuing Education program that prepares participants for high demand occupations in local industries such as skilled crafts and health care. It will also help increase the basic skill levels necessary to participate in local economic development opportunities.

MTC and Fairfield County are planning to break ground on a more than $2 million training center later this month that will specialize in offering Quick Jobs programs to local residents.

“We are proud to continue our long–standing support of education by contributing to Midlands Technical College,” said Holt Chetwood, Greater Columbia market president for Wachovia. “We are especially pleased to support the Quick Jobs program, which creates such practical solutions to help decrease unemployment in our region.”

“We are very grateful to Wachovia for their generosity and commitment to higher educa- tion,” said MTC president Dr. Marshall (Sonny) White Jr. “We know that the key to community– wide advancement in this difficult economy is providing relevant, careeroriented higher education for the 65 to 70 percent of our citizens who must have education and skills beyond high school, but less than a four–year degree.”

The MTC Foundation, a group of 30 business leaders from the Midlands, is the structure through which individuals, corporations and other private sector interests can demonstrate their support for the academic programs and economic development services offered by Midlands Technical College.

MTC enrolls approximately 18,000 credit students annually, and provides training for 30,000 individuals and services to hundreds of area businesses each year. MTC is the largest source of transfer students to the University of South Carolina. Information on MTC Quick Jobs programs is available at www.mtctraining. com/quickjobs.